A Reminder: America Is 1 of 2 Nations in the World Without Paid Maternity Leave
America’s terrible track record for maternity leave is no secret. This country and Papua New Guinea are the only ones in the world where women don’t have government-mandated paid maternity leave. PNG just won its independence in 1975, so what’s our excuse?
Paid Parental Leave Is a Matter of Life and Death
Like many parents, Amber Scorah tried to blot out worst-case scenarios when she dropped off her three-month-old son Karl for the first time at a well-regarded daycare in SoHo. She wasn’t ready to outsource his care to strangers—what if something happened? But the caregiver assured her the worst thing that could happen…
Here's Amazon's New Parental Leave Policy, Designed to Combat All Their Bad Press
Just in time for Black Friday, and after literally years of terrible press about their soul-crushing work conditions, Amazon appears to be quietly expanding their parental leave policies. A tipster who works at the company just forwarded Jezebel details of the new policy, which includes paternity leave for the first…
Following Netflix, Microsoft Improves Their Maternity Leave Program
Since Netflix announced a generous plan to offer unlimited maternity and paternity leave to their employees, at least one other company seems to have been inspired by the move to upgrade their own program. Microsoft released a statement saying they will now offer 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave to their…
Swedish Men To Get Three Months of Mandatory Paid Paternity Leave
Beginning in 2016, Sweden will give new fathers a third month of required paid parental leave. The country already has one of the most generous parental leave policies, it currently allows parents to take 16 months of government-paid time off to care for newborns that must be split between both parents. The law…
GOP Offers Paid Maternity Leave to Staff, Not the Rest of America
Over at the New York Times, Jen Senior has an interesting piece on the disparity between the generous maternity leave benefits GOP senators offer their own staff versus their present position on expanding paid leave to private workers.
America Leads The World In Crappy Parental Leave Policies
Has this week left you feeling like the government is on a campaign to do you and your lady bits wrong? Well unfortunately, this won't make you feel any better. A Human Rights Watch report released today says that of the 190 countries studied, the United States is one of only three that doesn't guarantee paid …
New Parental Leave Policy Helps British Dads
The British government is planning a new parental leave system that would allow dads as well as moms to take significant time off. Businesses, predictably, are up in arms.
Court Unfortunately OKs Firing Moms Taking Too Much Maternity Leave
The unfortunate headline reads, Court: It's OK to ax mom. And the story behind it is even more unfortunate: A Massachusetts court has ruled that women who take more than eight weeks of maternity leave can be fired.
A Reminder: Parental Leave Laws Still Suck
Right now, working Americans that have children get 12 unpaid weeks away from their jobs — as long as they work for big companies and worked there for 12 months prior. Otherwise, they're screwed.
Britain: Making It Easier For Women To Stay Home, And Reinforcing The Stereotype That They Should
As if there hasn't been quite enough said about the work-life choices women get to make, Nicola Brewer, the chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission in Great Britain, ignited a debate about maternity leave and its effect on women's careers this weekend that has landed her in a spot of hot water. Recently,…

